Winding machine



Patented Dec. 10, 1940' PATENT OFFICE WINDING MACHINE Edward J. Abbott,Wilton, N. 11., assignor to Abbott Machine Company, Wilton, N. IL, acorporation of New Hampshire Application February 25, 1935, Serial No.8,013

6 Claims. (Cl. 242-355) This invention relates to traveling spindlewinders, and is of particular applicability to traveling spindle windersfor producing headless cross-wound packages of yarn and the like. In

the past, winding machines of this typehave involved the use of traverseelements which are moved to and fro in proximity to the winding packagefor laying the yarn into the desired quickpitch spiral formation on thepackages during travel ofthe packages around the machine.

Thus my Patent No. 1,609,639 discloses the inclusion on the travelingwinding unit, of a vertical oscillating arm of which the upper end isadapted to serve as a guide eye for the yarn near the face of thewinding package. The Reissue Patent No. 18310 to Edward J. Abbott andWilliam J. Abbott, Jr., discloses the provision on the traveling unit ofa reciprocating slider carrying a guide eye for traversing the yarn.

For certain types of yarn and certain conditions of winding it isadvantageous to employ traversing means of a type which does not involvethe use of reciprocating or oscillating parts. In cases where the yarncan be laid sufiiciently 25 exactly to satisfy the demands of theindustry without the use of a reciprocating or oscillating guide eye,the elimination of such element and its operating mechanism isadvantageous in reducing noise, preventing certain friction losses, andsimplifying the lubrication of the units;

The principal object of this invention is therefore to provide forincorporating in the flexibly connected units of a traveling spindlewinding machine traverse devices adapted to distribute 35 the yarn inquick traverse cross-wound formation without the use of a reciprocatingor oscillating yarn guiding eye, and to provide for operating suchtraverse mechanism while the units travel around the guideway of themachine. 40 Other objects of invention and features of advantage relateto details of the winding unit, some of which are of generalapplication.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a traveling wind- 45 ing unit of thepresent invention, showing a part oi the track or guideway for theseveral units of the machine; I

Fig. 2 is a left elevation of the device of Fig. 1, showing the track orguideway of the machine in 50 vertical section; and a Fig. 3 is a viewof the rotary yarn cam of the unit, half in elevation and half inlongitudinal section.

The several fiexibly'connected winding units 55 of the machine areadapted to be conveyed in. a

closed path having straight and semi-circular portions in the mannerandby the means described in the above patents and in my co-pendingapplications Serial Nos. 476,776, now Patent No. 2,135,485 and 677,749,now Patent No. 1,993,910. 5

Each unit consists, as shown'in the drawing, of a vertical frame piecell provided with a roll 12 and pin 13 to guide its lower end on thelower rail Id of the guideway, andprovided at its upper end with a casthead piece 15 having integral 10 opposite vertical side portions [6 andii and also carrying rollers l8, l9 and which guide the upper part ofthe unit on the upper rail 2| of the guideway. The unit is shown asflexibly connected to a conveying chain 22 such as described 15 in theabove patents and applications.

The spindle 25 for holding the winding package core '26 is mounted in anarm 27 which is pivoted at 28 on an upward extension l6 of the sideportion it of thehead of the unit. A wire bail 30, Q normally pressedaway from the observer in Fig.

1, by the running yarn, is adapted to control suitable winding stoppingmechanism, including the package lifting rod it, in the manner describedin the above applications, the stopping mecha- 25 nism also preferablybeing adapted to lift and lower. the package at predetermined places inits path of travel as fully described in the above applications.

Between the upright vertical side portions it 30 and ii there is mounteda rotary yarn traversing element 36 adapted to serve as a friction driveroll for the package formed on the core 26. This traversing and drivingelement may, for example, take the form of a drum having in its surfacea yarn traversing groove 35 which may be shaped according to any of thepatterns disclosed in the patents to Colman, No. 1,175,710, Colman, No.1,274,386, Reece, No. 1,749,355, Bood, No. 1,836,105 or McKean, No.1,918,210.

As shown in Fig. 1, the winding package core 29 initially rests on thisgrooved drum, so as to be driven thereby. Yarn coming from a bobbin 39,through guide wires i0 and over the bail wire 30,,is then distributed onthe core 28 in crosswound spirals by the grooved drum M.

The driving means for the drum 34 is preferably in the form of anelectric motor, which as indicated in Fig. 3, includes a stationaryfield 4| on the shaft 62 which is held by the side member it of theunit, and a rotary armature 43 fastened to the inner surface of therotary drum 34. Current is supplied to the stationary field 4| by wires45 from a group of brushes 46 which slide vided with an operating handle49 adapted to'be actuated by a projection 50 from the pivoted arm 21, sothat when the arm 21 is raised to the height corresponding to thecompletion of a fully wound package the switch 48 is opened and themotor and drum 34 stopped. This action likewise takes place when the arm21 is raised by the action of the lifter rod 3|, for example when thelatter is raised by actuation of the bail wire and the associated stopmechanism of my aforesaidapplications.

In operation, the several units are conveyed in a procession around themachine. Upon reachingthe place at which replenishment operations areconducted, the stopping mechanism of each unit is successively operatedby actuation of the lifter rod 3| of the unit,- and upon passing theplace of replenishment the winding package of the unit is automaticallyplaced in contact with its drive drum 34 U and the motor started bymeans of the rod 3], arm 21 and switch 48, and the lifter rod actuatingmechanism or application Serial No. 476,776. I It will bev observed thatthe present inventio j renders it possible to wind cross-wound packageson the flexibly connected units of traveling spindle winders withoutresort to the usual reciprocating or oscillating traverse guide eyes. Itmoreover provides forcontrolling the several driving and traversingdrums individually, so that the individual units are stoppedsuccessively for replenishment without stopping the remaining activeunits, and the drive drums are severally stopped upon the breakage orexhaustion of the strand without stopping the drive'drums of the otherunits.

I claim;

1. A multiple traveling unit winding machine havingtherein a pluralityof flexibly connected winding units each including a grooved rotarypackage driving element adapted to distribute the winding strand on apackage, the machine including means for moving the units in aprocession around the machine and means for driving the several saidrotary elements during travel of the units. I

2. A multiple traveling unit winding machine having thereina' pluralityof flexibly connected winding units each including a grooved rotarypackage-driving element adapted to distribute the winding strand 'on apackage, the machine including means for moving the units in aprocession around the machine and motors onsthe individual units fordriving the several said rotary elements during travel or the units.

3. In a winding machine for winding bobbins, a winding unit, a spindlein said unit for mounting the bobbin, rotatable means mounted externallyof said spindle and bobbin for rotating said bobbin, an electric motorfor imparting rotation to said last-named means, an electric circuitcomprising a circuit-making device for energizing said motor, and athread detector in each winding unit operated by the failure of threadsupply to said bobbin for controlling said circuit-making device tobreak the circuit to said motor and to stop the winding operation.

4. In a winding machine for winding bobbins, a winding unit, a spindlein said unit for mounting the bobbin, a spindle support, rotatable meansmounted externally of said spindle and bobbin for rotating said bobbin,an electric motor for imparting rotation to said last-named means,anelectr'ic circuit comprising a. circuitmaking device for energizingsaid motor, and an adjusting mechanism in each winding unit forcontrolling the size of the wound bobbin comprisin a member extendingbetween the spindle support and said circuit-making device forcontrolling the latter to break the circuit to said motor at apredetermined position of said spindle support.

5. In a winding machine for winding bobbins, a. winding unit, a spindlein said unit for mounting the bobbin, means mounted externally of saidspindle and bobbin for guiding the thread .onto the bobbin, an electricmotor for operating said last-named means, an electric circuit com--prising a circuit-making device for energizing said motor, and a threaddetector in each wind ing unit operated by failure of the thread supplyto said bobbin for controlling said circuit-making device to break thecircuit to saidmotor an to stop the .winding operation.

6. In a winding machine for winding bobbins,

a winding unit, a spindle in said unit for mounting the bobbin, aspindlesupport, means mounted externally of said spindle and bobbin for guidingthe thread onto the bobbin, an electric motor for' -operatingsaidJaSt-named means, an electric circuit comprising a circuit-makingdevice for energizing said motor, and an adjusting mechanism in eachwinding unit for controlling the size of i the wound bobbin comprising amember extending between the spindle support and said circuit-makingdevice for controlling the latter to break the circuit to said motor ata predetermined position of said spindle support. EDWARD J. ABBOTT.

